NRL star’s blackmail plot takes dark twist

An NRL player manager is now caught up in the Cody Walker blackmail saga and is being investigated by police in a shock development to the incident.Walker first informed Police on Sunday evening that his agent Matt Rose was called and asked to provide $20,000 to stop the video from being leaked to the media.Now,…

An NRL player manager is now caught up in the Cody Walker blackmail saga and is being investigated by police in a shock development to the incident.

Walker first informed Police on Sunday evening that his agent Matt Rose was called and asked to provide $20,000 to stop the video from being leaked to the media.

Now, in a stunning twist the Daily Telegraph reports that the caller left a phone number that has been traced back by South Sydney Police detectives to another player manager.

The agent is now reportedly being investigated.

Walker is now facing the possibility of being sidelined from next week’s blockbuster return clash with the Sydney Roosters but accepts whatever punishment will be handed down.

“Whatever decision the game, the club, anyone come up with, that is what is going to happen,” Walker told Channel 9 on Monday night.

“I will not be appealing. I am very, very sorry.”

Paul Kent says Walker will likely be facing between two and four weeks on the sidelines but also worries the incident could pave the way for clubs to take matters into their own hands in the future rather than dealing with incidents through the Integrity Unit.

“I don’t find any consistency with offence to offence with the NRL,” Kent said on Fox League Live.

“My first reaction is he will probably get a little bit of time.

“Where that leaves the Rabbitohs is they have lost Cody Walker, James Roberts and Latrell Mitchell is struggling to get fit, so they are in a little bit of bother.

“He will probably get a couple weeks to maybe four weeks. Let’s remember it is an assault and once you watch the full video there is no reason for him to be involved other than the emotional circumstances that are hovering in the background.

“There will be some understanding, but his cousin wasn’t in danger. I don’t think his cousin got hit with a solid blow. It was handbags at 20 paces.

“It is a difficult one because if the blackmail attempt is true and let’s presume it is true because we are dealing with a game where not Cody Walker specifically, but they have trouble fessing up to what is going on in the NRL.

“If the blackmail attempt is true this will encourage teams wrongly I think in future if the punishment is more than $20,000 to actually just pay the blackmail or deal with it themselves, without involving the integrity unit.”